It was my last day in Beijing and my train ticket back to Shanghai is my last rope and if I miss it, I should consider looking for a day job to earn for an airfare back home.

With limited time and budget, my dream of tittuping around the Summer Palace burst into mist. I decided to stay in central Beijing and walk around the Forbidden palace instead–and MAN! It was so touristy (like Disneyland Touristy), I was actually anticipating an Empress Dowager mascot to come out anytime in the middle …

It was in 3rd grade when I started sketching different world landmarks at the back pages of my notebook as solution to the lethal boredom during math classes. Eifel tower, Statue of Liberty, Sydney opera house, pyramids of Giza and my favorite, The Great wall of China.

Up to this point, it still amazes me that a construction of this enormity took place out of some twisted idea of an emperor consumed by megalomania. But this paranoia byproduct transcended through time, generations and inspired an entire cultural identity.
Originally built to protect the …

Few minutes away from Qianmen square via subway is the Olympic green. Right after Beijing’s event of the century in 2008, this became second most popular destination following the Great Wall. During the time of the Olympic events, we were in Hong Kong and pretending to attend the Olympics even though the only event in HK then was Equestrian. So when I got this chance to visit Beijing, I made sure to check out and see the actual event venue in flesh.

It was reported that total spending on the games was …

I gave my body a favor and lied down on my bed. That was the first time I comfortably stretched my body in the last 42 hours. It was a glorious moment and I just want to retire to dreamland, but it was not that easy, my mind is not cooperating, I was too excited to walk around and start my date with Beijing and I can’t keep my mind off the pre-conceived images in my head. So I procrastinated on sleeping, it was 3 in the afternoon and 3 …

After the energy draining, butt bruising, slip-disk inducing train ride, I roamed around the divisoria-ish crowded Beijing Train station to look for a tourist booking counter to try my luck in upgrading my ticket back to Shanghai. Well I guess my lucky star just exploded to a Justin Bieber (???)–I re-booked, only to find out I got a train ride to Inner Mongolian border to Siberia. Pfrt!
I got too exhausted looking for a map to take me to the subway to my Hostel, so I flagged a cab and got ripped off, …